Parker complains of fatigue after EuroBasket

The start of Spurs training camp is little more than a week away, and Tony Parker is feeling the impact of dedicating much of his summer to Team France at EuroBasket 2013.

It worked out historically well for Parker, who helped Les Blues finally win the major championship that had eluded them for so long, usually in painful fashion. But he’s now paying the price, admitting he was “very tired” after following up the Spurs’ run to the Finals with another one for his native country.

Despite his current fatigue, and what could very well shape up to be another long, grueling playoff campaign with the Spurs, Parker disputed an earlier report, attributed to his father, that he had decided to skip next summer’s FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Parker’s father had asserted that his son would then complete his international career with EuroBasket 2015 — yes, for some reason they hold the tournament every two years instead of the standard four for most other major international competitions — and the 2016 Olympics.

Parker, however, said he’ll wait and see how he feels next summer before making any decision in regards to the Worlds.

“To be honest, I do not know yet,” he was quoted by the French press. “In 2015 and 2016, provided we’re qualified for sure I’ll play. But next year, it will depend on how I feel. It was very hard for me physically. I am very tired now. It’s been a long season, so it’s hard for me to say if I would play next year.”

Parker’s condition will be under intense scrutiny in the coming months, particularly after he wore down last season under a steady stream of nagging injuries. Despite finishing sixth in MVP voting he was ineffective when it mattered most, shooting just 9 for 35 over the last two games of the Finals as the Spurs blew a 3-2 lead.

At the same time, Parker plays for a coach in Gregg Popovich who has become an absolutely master — almost too masterful, from the league office’s perspective — of managing minutes. The balancing act will only get harder as Parker, now 31, advances past his prime, while his desire to compete for France shows no signs of abetting.

“It’s been an unbelievable journey chasing this title,” Parker, the tournament MVP, said after Sunday’s victory over Lithuania. “I would change nothing.”